A is for Atonement. The British war romance has seven nods, including the coveted best picture gong

B is for Bling. The stars are always dripping in it. Last year Chopard lent £1.5m in jewels to stars such as Helen Mirren.

C is for Cringeworthy crying, with the sob squad led by Gwyneth Paltrow.

D is for Dough. A 30-second ad-break costs £800,000.

E is Eight - the most awards any films are nominated for. This year's lucky contenders are the Coen brothers film No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood.

F is for Frocks - the only reason most of us tune in.

G is for Goodies bags. Last year nominees will bagged a £700 gold and diamond medallion - and £300 worth of GHD hair stylers.

H is for Hal Holbrook who has received his first nomination at the age of 82. He’s up for best actor in a supporting role for Into the Wild

I is for Insane speeches. Step forward Tom Hanks who "outed" his high-school teacher in his best actor acceptance speech for Aids flick Philadelphia in 1994.

J is for Jon Stewart - the US ocmedian who will host this year’s ceremony. He also fronted the 78th Oscars two years ago.

K is for Kodak Theatre, home of the Oscars since 2002 and first permanent venue for the awards.

L is for Limo queue. Starting at 1pm, stars need to leave as early as 9am to get to the red carpet because of the limo tailbacks on Hollywood Boulevard.

M is for Mind-numbing statistics. Did you know Meryl Streep has the most nominations for a performer with 14?

N is for No cashing in. Oscar winners are forbidden to sell them without first offering them to the Academy for £500,000.

O is for You know who - the 13.5in, 8.5lb, gold-plated star of the show.

P is for Parties. Although Vanity Fair has cancelled its celebrated after party because of the Writers' Guild strike, Elton John will host his 16th Annual Aids Foundation bash. Regular celebrity attendees include Victoria Beckham, the Osbournes and Liz Hurley

Q is for Queen. Cate Blanchett is up for best actress for her portrayal of Elizabeth 1 in The Golden Age

R is for Red carpet - 152 metres long, 11 wide.

S in for Seat fillers. They take a star's seat when pop to the loo.

T is for Thank you camera, a backstage device where winners can record their more tedious messages.

U is for Unlucky. Martin Scorsese, 64, holds the record for missing out on directing wins. He finally won an Oscar last year for The Departed.

V is for Victory. Walt Disney is the most lauded Oscar nominee -. bagging 22 and four honorary stauettes.

W is for World audience. More than one billion worldwide will watch the four-hour Oscar night making it the most-viewed award ceremony on the planet.

X is for X-Rated - Midnight Cowboy is the only X-rated film to win best picture Oscar.

Y is for Young. Thirteen-year-old Atonement star Saoirse Ronan is up for best actress supporting actress. The Irish talent will be attending the do with her parents

Z is for Zzz. The marathon back-slapping goes on for hours. There are 113 nominations in 24 categories to trawl through.